Canadian beaver vs

Castor canadensis compared with Cryptomonas pyrenoidifera

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Canadian beaver
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Chromista (Chromista)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Cryptophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Cryptophyceae (Cryptophyceae)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Cryptomonadales (Cryptomonadales)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Cryptomonadaceae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Cryptomonas
Species	Castor canadensis	Cryptomonas pyrenoidifera

Conservation Status

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Canadian beaver
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	1.0 m	—
Average Weight	25.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Canadian beaver

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (15 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Argentina, Chile).

Habitat

Native to Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Norway, and Sweden.

Canadian beaver

The largest rodent in North America, Canadian beavers weigh up to 32 kg and are master ecosystem engineers inhabiting rivers, lakes, and wetlands across Canada and the northern United States. By felling trees and constructing dams up to hundreds of meters long, beavers create ponds that provide habitat for hundreds of species. Their lodges and canals transform entire watersheds. Once nearly hunted to extinction for their fur, beaver populations have recovered strongly.

Cryptomonas pyrenoidifera is a unicellular cryptomonad alga with a distinctive pyrenoid in each chloroplast, reflecting its species name. It inhabits freshwater lakes and ponds with moderate to high nutrient levels across temperate regions. This mixotrophic flagellate performs photosynthesis and can also ingest bacteria as supplemental nutrition.